Interning at The Fund
Part of the reason Matthew Wood chose to attend the University of Alaska Southeast in Juneau was because he had heard about the Alaska Permanent Fund internship program."I knew about the program before I even came up here," said Wood, who is from Oregon. "I had been planning for two years to go for this."

Southeast Furniture Warehouse looks to expansion
Southeast Furniture Warehouse will move to a new, 15,322-square-foot building on Anka Street near Costco, company President Chris Jensen said.The new building will offer more showroom space than the current store on Shaune Street. Construction should be complete by December, Jensen said.

Lobbyist attends D.C. small-business summit
Juneau resident Thyes Shaub, state lobbyist for the National Federation of Independent Business, attended the 2002 NFIB Small Business Summit last month in Washington, D.C.

Preserve independence
I don't have a big problem with the sentiment expressed in Thursday's unattributed editorial, other than in the end the writer seemed almost to encourage capitulation rather than "let's fix what is wrong" with this system foisted off on us by the federal courts.

No longer a believer
I used to have a lot of respect for the press, but that has dramatically dropped in the last six weeks when I have seen bias on the part of the media that a year ago I would not have believed! Since June 1 many of us have tried repeatedly to get the Juneau Empire and the Anchorage Daily News to print an honest, truthful story about what was happening to our communities and why it was happening.

No redeeming qualities
I have just read the My Turn by Dana Owen (Tuesday's Empire) regarding the Murkowski land deal and as a former resident of Auke Bay I am greatly disturbed. This deal seems to be dealt from the bottom of the deck and has no redeeming qualities.

Save the frosting
The response from New York in regards to my letter was very informative. I do not doubt that Mr. Stevens did a fine job. He was paid to do a fine job. According to the article, $715,000 for salary and bonuses. For a part-time job?

Juneau to honor Coyner, fallen duathlon champ
Three memorial events will take place next week to honor the life of three-time age group national duathlon champion Wes Coyner, who collapsed and died Sunday just short of the finish line at the 2002 Duathlon National Championship meet in Carlsbad, Calif.
Coyner, 74, was a 32-year resident of Juneau who worked as a political lobbyist and served as the chief of staff for Gov. Bill Egan in the 1970s. He was a racquetball club professional for nearly 20 years, and over the past four years he competed in the run-bike-run duathlon events which became Coyner's passion.

Downtown Egan traffic plan altered
The state has revamped a traffic plan for Egan Drive downtown between Whittier and Main streets to keep four vehicle lanes and to allow left turns onto Willoughby Avenue.An earlier plan reduced the number of traffic lanes on a section of Egan from four to two and eliminated a left turn from Egan onto Willoughby.

Sled dogs make icefield new home to adventure
Thousands of feet above Juneau an ancient icefield is home to majestic mountains, dozens of glaciers and, during the summer months, a camp of Alaskan huskies waiting to take sightseers on the ride of their lives.From May to September, trips to the Juneau Icefield through Juneau Flightseeing Tours include an aerial tour of four glaciers by helicopter, followed by a dog sled tour guided by veteran mushers.

Locals respond to latest scandal
Some local Catholics are backing the Diocese of Juneau's decision to remove a priest who admitted more than a decade ago to sexual indiscretions with young girls in Haines and Ketchikan.The Rev. Javier R. Gutierrez was removed from his duties as a priest Wednesday night when allegations of kissing, groping and uttering innuendo to several young girls in the Juneau Diocese between 1983 and 1988 were taken up during the first meeting of the diocese sexual abuse review board.

Ex-Juneau priest loses ministry
ANCHORAGE - A former Southeast Alaska priest has been stripped of his ministerial duties over sexual improprieties involving a teen-age girl at the Haines parish in the late 1980s.The Rev. Javier R. Gutierrez, ordained for the Diocese of Juneau in 1983, was permanently removed from his duties under a recommendation this week by the diocese's new sexual misconduct review board, Juneau Bishop Michael Warfel said Thursday.

Correction
A thank you letter on the Empire's Neighbors page Wednesday misspelled the last name of Richard and Veronica Dalton.

Corrections
The Around Town column in Thursday's Empire incorrectly listed a MADD victims meeting for July 23. The meeting will take place at 6:30-7:30 July 30 at McPhetres Hall at Fourth and Gold streets.

Bike cops patrol Valley at night
The Juneau police are sending late-night bike patrols into the Mendenhall Valley to curb a recent rash of thefts.Lt. Jerry Nankervis said the police this summer began putting bike-riding patrol officers in the Valley after midnight to dissuade would-be "car-hoppers," thieves - usually groups of teens - who rifle vehicles, looking to steal.

Photos: Housing ceremony
Blake Kazama, left, executive director for the Tlingit-Haida Regional Housing Authority, and Pete Crandall, president of Juneau's Wells Fargo Bank, give each other a high five Wednesday after the ceremonial raising of a wall for a house being built in the new Ha'anee' Hittee subdivision in the Mendenhall Valley.

Airport moves security checkpoint
Travelers departing from Juneau Airport next week will find a new, two-lane security checkpoint and shorter lines upstairs, airport officials said.The new security screening area will replace the current security checkpoint and keep long, winding lines of people away from the stairs, according to airport Manager Allan Heese.

Healthy Choices
L indsay, 23, has had an eating disorder since she was 14, and used to go to a support group in Bellingham, Wash., until the group's facilitator quit."So I got the members' numbers and we started meeting on our own," said Lindsay, who asked that her last name not be used.

Congratulations
Congratulations Jack Suson Schmidt for passing the Alaska Bar Exam and to your new job as an assistant district attorney for the state of Alaska in Anchorage. We are proud of you!

Source of pride
The Juneau Pride Chorus of daughters, sisters, lovers and grandmothers, under the lively and spirited direction of Leslie Wood, made beautiful music over the Memorial Day weekend at the GALA (Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses) Choruses Western Regional Festival in Seattle.

Student to attend global leaders conference
Juneau resident Tally Israelson has been selected to attend the Global Young Leaders Conference from July 28 to Aug. 8 in Washington, D.C., and New York City.The GYLC is a leadership development program for secondary school students from around the world who have demonstrated leadership potential and scholastic merit. Israelson will be among 350 outstanding scholars from around the world to attend the conference.

Thomas, Nibbe wed
Megan Thomas of Juneau and Luke Nibbe of Fayetteville, Ark., were married in a ceremony on March 21, 2002, at St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. A reception will be held at 7 p.m. on Saturday, July 27, at Eaglecrest Lodge. Friends and relatives of the couple are invited to the reception.

Andersen, Mahoney to marry
Kristanne Elizabeth Andersen and Daniel Thomas Mahony of Armidale, New South Wales, Australia, recently announced their engagement.

Academic Honors
Andrew N. Dietrick of Juneau was named to the Oregon State University Honor Roll. He is a senior studying mechanical engineering.

Aparezuk, Schlosser to wed
Mary Aparezuk of Juneau and Jeremy Schlosser of Sebastopol, Calif., will be married in a ceremony planned for 3:30 p.m. on July 27 at the Chapel by the Lake. Friends and relatives of the couple are invited to the wedding ceremony.

My Turn: Plan for Kensington mine is environmentally responsible
The Kensington gold project returned to the news when Sen. Frank Murkowski introduced SB 2222, the Cape Fox Land Entitlement Adjustment Act of 2002.This bill would consolidate Cape Fox, Sealaska and Tongass National Forest surface and subsurface estates and simplify Forest Service boundaries. It would also simplify Coeur Alaska's efforts to reopen the Kensington gold project 45 miles north of Juneau.

Alaska editorial: Additional voter responsibility
It is ironic that something intended to benefit the public and streamline a process tends, instead, to have the opposite effect. Such is the case, it seems, with the state's new primary voting system.

Ketchikan ties series with Juneau Seniors
The District II berth in the state Senior (ages 15-16) Little League baseball tourney comes down to today's game between Juneau and Ketchikan. Ketchikan beat Juneau, 8-7, on Wednesday in Petersburg to knot the teams' best-of-three series at one game apiece.Ketchikan countered a four-run Juneau outburst in the top of the third with seven runs of their own in the bottom half, and then held off the Gastineau Channel Little League All-Stars the final four innings for the win.

Juneau cyclists complete Seattle to Portland ride
Ten Juneau cyclists were among the nearly 8,000 who participated in the 2002 Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic last weekend.Bob Wysocki, Jessica Menendez, Joe Sorenson, Bernie Sorenson, Dani Jo Sorenson, Cheryl Levitt, Michele Schindler, Chris Chiles, Drew McDougal and Rob Welton made the trip for the 200-mile ride, with all but Welton attempting to complete the trip in one day. Seven of the riders were able to meet their goal.

Sidelines: Carlos Sr. learns the price of fame
Last month, former Juneau-Douglas High School and Duke University basketball player Carlos Boozer Jr. was selected 35th in the NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers. The team is coached by John Lucas, a star for the Maryland Terrapins in the 1970s - when Carlos Sr. was playing basketball there.

Boozer heads to summer league
Life has been busy for Carlos Boozer Jr. since he was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round of the NBA Draft on June 26. This weekend, Boozer will make his first appearances in a Cavaliers uniform.

Juneau Seniors beat Ketchikan to earn state berth
Juneau's Gastineau Channel Little League Senior (ages 15-16) Baseball All-Stars are settling in for an extended stay in Petersburg after beating Ketchikan, 6-4, on Thursday to win the District II title and earn a berth in the state tourney."It was an awesome game," manager Bill McCauley said. "You had two teams with championship hearts."

No reason to be nervous
Juneau's Gastineau Channel Little League All-Stars had a big case of nerves when they opened the State Major (age 11-12) Little League Softball Tournament on Thursday at Melvin Park.Escaping a first-inning jam, though, helped the GCLL All-Stars shake off the nerves as they cruised to a 7-0 victory over Anchorage's Abbott-O-Rabbit Little League in the opener of their best-of-three-game series.

Juneau's Richert competes in Great Outdoor Games
During the week, Cal Richert can usually be found in his Juneau cubicle at the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Tribes of Alaska, pushing paper while Muddy Waters plays on his tape player.But sometimes Richert's office is about 100 feet up a pole, where he pushes a saw.
By day, Richert is a forester/natural resource manager for the local Native organization. During his off hours, he's a competitive lumberjack.

Officials: PFD may be $1,550
FAIRBANKS - The 2002 Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend will be about $1,550, but fund officials say the near $300 decline from checks last year cannot be blamed on the volatile performance of the current stock market.That's for the payout next year. State Department of Revenue Commissioner Wilson Condon said the dividend likely will be even lower next year.

Kivalina residents say mine pollutes water
ANCHORAGE - Residents of Kivalina have filed notice that they plan to sue Teck Cominco for $88 million in damages stemming from alleged water-quality violations at the Red Dog Mine in Northwest Alaska.

Ballot measure could change way Alaska elects officials
When voters go to the polls to choose a candidate during the primary election Aug. 27, they also will vote on a ballot measure that totally would restructure the way officials are elected.Called "preferential voting" or "instant runoff voting," the measure would allow voters to choose each candidate on the ballot in order of preference.

Whaling commission to discuss Eskimos' quota
BARROW - The International Whaling Commission will conduct a special meeting this fall to discuss reinstatement of the bowhead quota for Alaska Eskimo whalers, according to the president of the Barrow Whaling Captains Association."The IWC is planning to reconvene in October or November to hold an intercessional meeting to try and re-establish the quota," Eugene Brower told the Arctic Sounder.

Thieves make off with trophy-sized salmon in Sitka
SITKA - This time, the one that got away was every bit as big as they said it was.In a stunning turn on a whopper of a fish tale, one of the biggest king salmon ever caught in Southeast waters has gone missing - apparently taken from a fish plant Tuesday night, just hours after it was brought to the dock by the commercial trollers who caught it.

State Briefs
Seafood workers injured in crash; Trial set for accused harasser;

Knowles says Steese Highway will stay open
CIRCLE - The Steese Highway will remain open this winter after all. Gov. Tony Knowles, at the end of a trip to visit the affected communities of Central, Circle, and Circle Hot Springs, said he will order the Department of Transportation to fund winter maintenance on both the road and the Circle Airport and let the Legislature next year deal with the added expense in a supplemental budget.

Stevens seeking millions for state
ANCHORAGE - Sen. Ted Stevens emerged from a long day Thursday in the Appropriations Committee room with spending bills that contain millions for Alaska projects and programs.Stevens, an Alaska Republican, met with reporters and looked over a list as he provided a quick summary of Alaska items in the bills the committee passed.

Two Rivers grizzlies show no fear of people and dogs
FAIRBANKS - A sow grizzly bear and her two curious yearling cubs are still making the rounds in the Two Rivers neighborhood east of Fairbanks, and a state wildlife biologist said the cubs will be killed if the three bears don't move on.While the bears haven't threatened anyone since they showed up in a subdivision 10 days ago, they have entered several dog lots and yards while ignoring repeated scare-off attempts, said biologist Don Young of the state Department of Fish and Game.

Drug officers storm wrong N. Pole home
FAIRBANKS - Kara Goodale was watching television Tuesday afternoon when she saw men dressed in white suits and gas masks pointing assault rifles through the window of her house near North Pole."They looked like storm troopers," said Goodale, 51. "All I saw was these assault rifles and I thought, 'Oh my God,' and headed to the other room and ducked behind the freezer. Next thing I know is a barrage of men, or storm troopers, ran into the house."

State Briefs
Feds designate $1.8 million for Juneau airport; Mariners should watch for orcas; Ketchikan borough manager candidate withdraws; Body of Wainwright man recovered in small lake; Anchorage police say body is that of missing girl; Six air forces gather for joint exercises in Alaska; Jury sides with ExxonMobil in cities' oil spill lawsuit

What's up with that?
Q: I would like to know what's up with the mystery boat out at the public float at Auke Bay. I believe the name of the boat is the Cyclops. It is a very large sailboat and appears, disappears then

Best Bets: Weekend brings Solivan, salmon festival
W hile the upcoming weekend is a quiet one, it still offers a concert by a respected artist and several opportunities to get out of the house and experience Alaska.Musician Frank Solivan II will play at Northern Light United Church on Saturday, July 20. Solivan, who plays acoustic music ranging from bluegrass and country to jazz and swing, was here earlier this year for a solo show. This time he'll be joined by his 16-year-old cousin, Megan McCormick, a prodigy guitar player, and his father, Frank Solivan Sr., who plays guitar and banjo.

String ensemble's musical journeys
On a brief break from Brahms and Bach, the teen-age members of the Ursa Major string ensemble shot pool, snacked and laughed.
Moments later, they returned to their seats, lifted their instruments and brought the Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 to life.

Concerts in the Park named in honor of Bruce
JUNEAU - The Juneau Arts and Humanities Council's long-running Concerts in the Park series will be renamed Friday, July 19, to honor the memory of board of trustees member Brenda Willis Bruce.

Summer offers skein of beading classes
When Salty Hanes was a child, she was given a bead loom. She did the best she could with it, but when she cut her creation off the loom, all the beads fell off.
Over the next few decades she had plenty of opportunities to refine her beading skills.

Olympia Dukakis gives a glimpse of the acting life
On July 25, Juneau residents will have a chance to go inside the actor's studio with Academy-Award winning actress Olympia Dukakis.
Dukakis will give a lecture, "A Life in the Theater," at 6:30 p.m. next Thursday at the 20th Century Twin Theatre downtown. Following the lecture, Perseverance Theatre Artistic Director Peter DuBois will interview Dukakis and moderate a question-and-answer session with the audience.